Vineyard Football Association season enters group stage

The Vineyard Football Association completed the first week of second round or group stage action with two matches Tuesday night at Veterans Park in Vineyard Haven.

Monto Orthopedics and MV Celtic played in the opener, with Monto prevailing 1-0 on a goal by Vineyard boys varsity coach Damon Burke. Prior to the contest, the two sides played the final 18 minutes of an earlier match that was suspended due to lightning. Celtic won 2-0.

Atlantic Football Club and Shirley’s Hardware met in the nightcap. AFC left the pitch with an emphatic 4-0 win.

The second round is divided into two groups of three teams, based on the regular season (first round) standings. The winners of each group will meet in a playoff to decide who plays the regular season champion in the final — unless the same team — Shirley’s Hardware, wins both rounds, in which case, they would win the Gilbert-Hammond Cup and VFA league championship without the extra match.